Web Design: 5 questions to ask before you Hire a specialist

Unfortunately, in my business, I get called in a lot when web design projects aren’t going like they are supposed to. People who have jumped onto the internet bandwagon, bought a site, or had one built, and aren’t getting what they wanted from it.

These are the things that I’ve experienced with my clients, and you ought to run screaming (well maybe just run) in the opposite direction if you hear these words spoken. And for sure, you should put your checkbook away and save your money.

Are you going to optimize my web design for SEO?

If you have to ask, I’m betting the answer is no. And, if not, are you, the customer, then going to learn SEO, or are you going to hire someone else to optimize for SEO after you’ve paid for that site?

Tip – Get it in the beginning. I’ve done so much SEO Copy editing on sites after the designer was paid, it would have been much cheaper, not to mention more efficient for the customer to have chosen better at the start.

Are You Kidding Me? After you’re told, “Don’t worry about posts, people want pictures and videos.”

You just can’t make this stuff up. Actual quote from the rep of a company with SEO in the title …

While what he says is essentially true, I’m guessing your prospective customers aren’t first graders, and they expect to learn something valid from your website. That will require content. And your customers aren’t the only ones expecting content. So are search engines.

Reference: Google Search Engine Optimization Guide lists content as one of the six elements of SEO. (Get your copy of the guide here.) If Google cares, you probably should, too.

I’m going to get a domain, web design, hosting and a log-in? Cheap? What’s the hitch?

Understand, while this may get you on the net, it also gets you in their grips, and any content will be available only as long as you pay their fees. You don’t control anything. Not your domain, your site, or your content. It’s never a cheap option. Or a good one.

How will you complement my web design with social media?

If all your web designer is planning is the placement of icons for Facebook and Twitter, they’re doing you a disservice. Facebook, Twitter and Google all have tools with code to enhance your readers’ experience and integrate social media into your site. The only thing social media icons linked to other sites do is send your traffic somewhere else.

What is your position on load time?

If your finished site is complicated and brilliant, and has 14 different style.css files that have to load along with unoptimized images and tons of script files, your web designer doesn’t think load time really means all that much. Oops. Google does –

Nothin but love for you, on Valentines Day!

Hopefully, you’ll have all these bases covered in your web design project before you start spending money – if not, if you need consulting or copy editing, we’ll help. We will tell you what you need, how to get it, and what it will cost if we do it. But you’re way ahead of the game to cover these before you start than fix them later.